Ning Fengzhi's heart jolted.
The brush in his hand slipped from his grasp and dropped onto the desk with a clatter, splattering ink across the white paper.
Tang Yu's army was advancing astonishingly fast. He hadn't even sent word ahead—he'd brought his troops straight to their doorstep!
Ning Fengzhi hurried to his feet and strode outside.
"Immediately gather the sect's disciples and come inspect the scene with me!"
"Immediately gather the sect's disciples and come inspect the scene with me!" A moment later, on the open ground before the gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi arrived with a group of senior sect members.
At the distant horizon, a vast, dark cloud was rolling toward them.
It was a sea of soldiers, marching slowly in perfect unison.
Each step landed like a muffled thunderclap.
The heavy thud of their boots shook the entire mountain.
Even the great trees along the road swayed, their leaves fluttering down.
Ning Rongrong, Chen Xin, Gu Rong, and the others also emerged from the inner courtyard.
The moment they stopped, the terrifying military presence bearing down on them left everyone holding their breath.
That murderous intent, as solid as a physical force, was like an icy wind that sliced at their cheeks.
Those black-armored soldiers looked like Asuras emerging from the depths of hell, devoid of the slightest trace of human emotion.
The clatter of their armor joined into a sound that shook the soul.
Only boundless killing intent swirled above the ranks.
At the very front of that terrifying army,
a young man rode a tall horse, advancing at an unhurried pace.
His black robes snapped in the wind, and a chilling aura of slaughter surrounded him.
He was none other than the Heaven Dou Empire's rising star, Prince Wuyang Tang Yu.
Ning Fengzhi's expression had never been so grave as he fixed his gaze on the young man astride his horse.
Even from a distance, he could feel the young man's overwhelming, domineering presence.
"So that's Tang Yu..."
Looking at that tall, straight figure, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration.
What an outstanding young hero!
Even setting aside that immortal army, his composure alone—unruffled even as Mount Tai collapsed before him—was enough to make him stand above the rest.
Beside him, Chen Xin and Gu Rong had also put away their earlier disdain.
The two Titled Douluo looked exceedingly solemn.
Their senses far surpassed those of ordinary people, so they could naturally detect the terrifying Soul Power fluctuations hidden within Tang Yu.
"An eighteen-year-old Titled Douluo..."
Chen Xin tightened his grip on the Seven Kill Sword, a trace of shock flashing in his eyes.
"Such talent is simply unheard of. He may well be the most astonishing genius in all of history!"
Gu Rong swallowed nervously, every muscle in his body taut.
Facing an unparalleled genius who refused to play by the rules, no one dared let their guard down.
But Ning Rongrong, hiding behind the others,
was in a completely different state.
The little girl secretly poked her head out, and her gaze happened to land on Tang Yu's impossibly handsome face.
Sharp brows and bright eyes, with a well-defined profile that radiated a wild yet profound charm.
His tall, straight figure astride the warhorse made him look like a god descending to earth.
Ning Rongrong was utterly transfixed.
Her heart began pounding uncontrollably.
Her mind went blank, leaving only one thought.
He was a hundred times more handsome than every man she had ever seen!
All that arrogance and lechery, all those tales of abducting women—before this peerless face, none of it seemed to matter as much.
Even her anger from earlier vanished in an instant.
The army stopped in perfect unison a hundred paces from the sect gates.
Boom!
The sound of their synchronized halt thundered through the air.
The dark ranks were like an impassable steel wall.
Their spears stood like a forest, their presence utterly awe-inspiring.
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm his turbulent thoughts.
He managed to put on his trademark genial smile and stepped forward to meet Tang Yu.
He clasped his hands and called out in a resonant voice.
"I've long admired Prince Wuyang's reputation."
"Now that I've met you, Your Highness is indeed as imposing and extraordinary as the rumors say."
"May I ask why Marquis Wuyang has brought his army to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
These pleasantries gave Tang Yu all due respect.
But Tang Yu, still seated atop his horse, paid them no heed.
He couldn't even be bothered to exchange a single greeting.
Sitting high in the saddle, he swept his chilling gaze slowly across the gathering.
Wherever his gaze fell, the people of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect felt an icy chill shoot from the soles of their feet straight to their scalps.
After a brief silence, Tang Yu parted his lips.
He uttered words that sent the entire gathering into an uproar.
"From this day on, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will submit to me."
His voice was not loud, yet it carried an absolute dominion that seemed to cleave heaven and earth.
Every person present heard him clearly.
The entire gathering fell into deathly silence.
It was as though those few short words had cut off every breath.
Then came an uproar!
"What?!"
"What did he just say?"
"He means to conquer the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
The sect disciples whispered among themselves, their faces full of shock and fury.
Today, someone had come demanding the submission of the second-greatest sect in the world, a sect with a thousand-year legacy and a position above the rest!
The smile on Ning Fengzhi's face instantly froze, then turned livid.
Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo both let their Soul Power surge, their hearts filled with shock.
Ning Rongrong snapped out of her lovestruck daze and stared blankly at the young man on horseback.
Had she heard him wrong?
Did he really think he could swallow the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect with just tens of thousands of troops?
Ning Fengzhi could no longer suppress the fury in his heart.
As sect master, if he let someone trample all over him, how could he ever command his subordinates again?
"Prince Wuyang!"
Ning Fengzhi took a step forward, his voice turning cold.
"I respect you as a meritorious servant of the empire, but your words show far too little regard for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"
"Do you really think no one in this world can stop you?"
In response to Ning Fengzhi's challenge, Tang Yu remained calm.
He barely even lifted his eyelids.
He merely raised his riding crop and pointed toward the grand plaque above the sect gates.
"If you refuse—"
"I'll flatten the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"
With those words, he said no more.
Boom!
At Tang Yu's command,
tens of thousands of black-armored soldiers behind him took one synchronized step forward.
Their overwhelming force crashed against the earth.
Once again, a thunderous roar shook the ground.
That boundless killing intent gathered into a flood and surged toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's gates.
The fierce baleful aura stung their eyes; it was almost impossible to look straight at it.
The crowd was once again stunned by the terrifying display.
They had assumed their opponent was here merely to intimidate them or negotiate.
Only now did Ning Fengzhi suddenly realize that Tang Yu had meant every word!
The other side wasn't joking. He genuinely intended to use force!
The pressure of the entire gathering bore down on Ning Fengzhi like an avalanche.
Faced with the terrifying might so close at hand, even Ning Fengzhi, who had weathered countless storms, couldn't help but tremble with fear.
The clothes on his back were already soaked with cold sweat.
What a terrifying army!
He looked at those soldiers, devoid of human emotion and resembling killing machines, as his heart pounded wildly.
This was the very army that had trampled the Star Luo Empire's territory beneath its feet...